The Valor Files
by Great Angemon
Summary: 'Case No.1 The Case of the Death Mountain Murder.' When a young girl goes missing and turns up dead, Head Detective Link Valor must find the killer. He'll travel across Hyrule trying to find justice for the young child, and her grieving sister. AU, R&R please. I hope you enjoy it. Beta-read by NeoMiniTails, for your reading pleasure.
1. The Innocent Murdered

The Valor Cases

Case No. One

By GreatAngemon

_Herein lay the case files of one Link Valor, presiding detective in the Martown Police Department from the year 1995 to the year 2005. He has since retired from the Police Force, and his case files have been released for public viewing._

_The file you are about to read is a completely true and accurately detailed case file of one of Detective Link's earliest, yet most prominent cases._

**1996, August 2 15:25:17**

The wind blew past her, playfully pulling at her hair as she ran through the neighborhood, hurrying to her destination; lunch with her sister and her sister's friend. Skipping and jumping over the fences, the young eight year old girl had one thing between her and the other side.

Looking around, her sister was nowhere to be found. A sly smile on her face, she could go across without worrying about being yelled at for crossing by herself. She was practically a grown up in a little body anyway.

Running across the street, the little girl didn't look both ways. The sound of a truck horn blared through the air and tires shrilled on the pavement, causing the little girl to scream in terror.

An inch from the child's back, the truck came to a loud, shrieking stop.

"Whad'dya think yer doin' out in da middle of der street?" a deep, husky voice called from the truck's window. The young girl looked up at the rotund man who was climbing out of the cab.

"I'm sorry, mister," she called. "I didn't mean to. I was just in a rush. My big sister told me that I need to hurry!" With a smile on her slightly wary face, her big blue eyes seemed to be unclear on what she had done so wrong.

"I don't care!" the man shouted. "Yeh shouldn't be playin' in der street!"

"I'm sorry," she said in a sing-song voice, hurrying the rest of the way across the street. The bald man watched her as she skipped along the sidewalk.

**1996, August 3 08:15:52**

Link rang the doorbell of the modest two-story house, just outside the Martown gates. "Link, do you think-"

"Sheik, don't ask me if there's anything to this case," Link said. "I don't know if it has any merit, but I do know that it's our duty to investigate." Sheik sighed, but nodded.

A moment later, the door swung open, and a tall, young, redheaded woman was standing there, looking harried. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Head Detective Link Valor," Link said, holding up his badge. "This is my partner, Junior Detective Sheik Impaz, from the Martown Police Department. Are you Miss Cremia?"

"Oh, yes." The woman stepped back. "Come in, please." Link and Sheik stepped over the threshold and followed Cremia into the sitting room, each taking a seat upon a chair. "Can I get you anything? A drink? Some snacks?"

"No, thank you, ma'am," Link said, looking around. "We're here because-"

"Because Romani disappeared." It wasn't a question. She was making a statement, and Link heard a note of both panic and anguish in her voice.

"Er, yes, because Romani disappeared." Link was feeling uncomfortable now. He fidgeted at her tone. There was a lump in his throat, the same lump he got whenever he had to talk to a victim's family. "Until she's been missing for forty-eight hours, we can't treat this as anything other than a runaway child case, which means no unnecessary manpower."

"You think she ran away?" Cremia cried. "She's eight years old! She wouldn't even know where to go! I'm all she has! She wouldn't run away from home, or from me!" Her eyes were moist like she had been holding in tears.

"I'm not saying that she '_did'_ run away. I'm saying that we legally have to treat it as a runaway case. If she still hasn't returned by tomorrow, then we can begin investigati-" Even as the words came out of his mouth, there was a false security in them that he couldn't avoid or fake. Forty-eight hours gone, while it kept the law from going crazy for no reason, it was also plenty of time for criminals to get away.

That wait, he imagined, would have to be the longest forty-eight hours that this woman would have in her entire life.

"Come in, all available units!" Radio static broke up the voice of the dispatch operator. "Come in, all available units! All units converge on Death Mountain Trail! A body has been-"

Link turned down the volume dial on his radio, cutting off the rest of the message as the tall redhead's face became lined with worry.

"Ma'am, we'll be heading off now," Sheik said as the two men rose from their seats. "We'll come back tomorrow to see if Romani has come back."

As they hurried back through the front door, they heard her call after them, "Please, detectives, find her. She's all I have. Find her!"

"Car number three-one-one-seven, en route to Death Mountain Trail," Sheik said into the car radio as Link blasted the sirens and threw the vehicle into drive. Peeling around, they drove at top speed towards the dormant volcano in the north of Hyrule.

"Dispatch, please repeat," Link said, taking the receiver from Sheik, "what was the description of the body found? Repeat, what was the description of the body?"

"Female, red hair, blue eyes, approximately eight to ten years old." Link looked at Sheik, who glanced back edgily. Placing the receiver back onto the CV unit, Link floored the accelerator.

When they reached the yellow police line, Link finally slammed on the brakes, causing the car to come to a squealing stop. He jumped out, ducked under the police line and ran toward the place where he saw the medical examiners and crime scene techs walking around.

"Hey doc," Link said, squatting down beside the chief medical examiner. "Have you gotten identification on the body yet?"

"Fingerprints were useless," the medical examiner said. "She's eight, so, really, it's all but impossible for her to have a criminal record. That also rules out DNA. So, we'll have to take dental imprints back at autopsy."

"Can you give me a time of death?"

"Luckily, she was wearing a watch," the doctor said, holding up the young girls wrist for Link to examine. "Even luckier, the watch hit the ground hard, knocking out the battery. Time of death is approximately four-fifteen yesterday afternoon."

"Call me when you get an ID," Link said. He stood up and motioned to a crime scene tech. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well, the girl didn't die here," the tech said. "She was killed somewhere else and then the body was dumped here."

"How can you tell?" Link asked.

"There's no pooling of blood here; only splattered drops around her from when the killer dropped her off."

"How did the killer get her here?"

"Best guess? He took his car. Look over here," he said, pointing at tire tracks leading away from the body. "I took molds of the tread, and I'm going to send those to the national database once we get back to the precinct."

"Alright." Link began walking away, but the tech called him back.

"There's one more thing," he said, motioning for Link to follow him. They walked a short distance away, where they found a sleeveless, button-down purple shirt lying on the ground.

"A shirt?" Link asked.

"Not just a shirt," the tech replied. He picked up the shirt, showing blood spots on the front. "Good guess that this blood belongs to the victim, or even the killer."

"Alright, thanks," Link said, pulling an evidence bag out of his pocket. "I'll take that back with me to see if it matches the girl."

When Link got back to his car, he beckoned Sheik towards him. "I'm going back to the station. Are you coming with me?"

"I'll ride back with the crime scene guys," Sheik said. "I want to keep looking around here."

Link pulled his door closed and pulled the car around. As he drove back down the path, he thought of something. "Dispatch, can you please send a unit to bring in Miss Cremia Stead."

"Copy, sending units to bring in Cremia Stead."

**1996, August 3 08:32:48**

"Detective!" Cremia said as Link walked into the interrogation room. "What am I doing here? Did you find Romani? Where is she?" Her questions shot like rapidfire.

"Miss Stead, we have new evidence about your sister's disappearance, so we've decided to treat it as suspicious."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we discovered a body on Death Mountain Trail of a young girl," Link said, feeling a tightening in his stomach. "While we haven't yet received identification, we have reason to believe that it is your sister." He always hated this part.

'"You think it's Romani?" Cremia asked, her hands flying up to her mouth and tears forming in her eyes.

"Well-" Link began, but was cut off as his phone began buzzing in his pocket. He pulled the phone out and flipped it open. "Valor."

"Detective, we've managed to get an ID on the body. Can you come down to autopsy?"

"I'll be right down," Link said. Closing his phone, he knocked twice on the mirror on the wall. "Miss Cremia, my partner is coming in to give you some of the personal effects we found on the body. If you recognize any of them, we need you to let him know."

"I-I-I'll try," Cremia said, brushing tears out of her eyes. Link opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Sheik, get in there with the items found on the body," he said, jabbing his thumb behind him towards the window into the interrogation room. "I'm going to the doc's office to get the ID on the girl."

"Alright," Sheik said, picking up an evidence box filled with clothes. "But Link-"

"Save it," Link said. "I'll be back after I talk to Bandam. Tell me then."

Link walked to the elevator and pushed the down button. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, the blonde detective stepped inside. Pressing the 'B' button, he watched the doors close. As the elevator slid down the shaft to the morgue, he began feeling nauseated. A child's death, that was something that he couldn't get used to; they said that after awhile he'd just become numb to it, but he'd been on the force for years, and he was still sickened each time it happened, still waiting for the numbing. No child deserved this kind of fate.

His vision began to blur and waver, and a ringing in his ears began to irritate his head. Pulling a pill bottle out of his pocket, he popped off the cap and tapped the bottle on his hand to get out a couple of pills. He snapped the cap back on the bottle and threw the pills into his mouth.

Just then the doors slid open again and Link stepped out. A wizened old man with white hair stood next to an autopsy table with a sheet on it, scribbling on a clipboard. "Doc," Link said. The old man said nothing. "Doc!" Link repeated. Nothing. "Doctor Bandam!"

The old man jumped and spun around. "Link," he said, placing one hand over his chest. "There's no need to scream, boy. I'm not that old." Link rolled his eyes.

"You said you got an ID on the girl from the trail?"

"Oh, yes," said Doc Bandam. He began fumbling with the papers on his clipboard. "We sent in her dental records to every dentist around Martown. Doctor Borville sent me her records. Her name is Romani Stead."

'_Damn._'

Alright everyone, tell me what you think! I'm looking forward to this story.


	2. The Suspect Identified

The Valor Cases

Case No. 1

By GreatAngemon

**1996, August 3 10:29:12**

"Miss Cremia," Link said, motioning towards a window in the small room. "That's our autopsy room. I need you to see if you can identify the body that's lying on the table in there." The room had always been kept just above freezing, so the small window always looked frosty. There was a cloudiness there that the detective had always hated; it made him sick with anger.

"Alright," Cremia said, sniffing. She and Link approached the window, and with a sharp intake of breath, she burst into tears.

"Is it her?" Link asked solemnly. There it was again, that mask of surety and strength, the facade that he couldn't remove once he threw on his mask. It gave him perceived strength, and, he liked to think it gave the victim's family hope.

Cremia nodded, her head moving in what appeared like silent disbelief, her eyes almost looked to be begging for it to be a lie, a figment of her imagination and in moments, she'd wake up.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He took her arm and led her away. When they got back to the interrogation room, Link sat her down in a chair and grabbed a box of tissues from the table. "Here," he said, offering it to her. She pulled a tissue out and blew her nose.

"I'm sorry to have to ask this, but where were you at approximately four-fifteen yesterday?" Sadly, no matter how distraught the family seemed, they were always the first suspects. He knew better than to ever assume anybody -good or bad by nature- was innocent. Good people did terrible things all the time.

Cremia looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. "You-you-you think I-"

"I don't think anything," Link said quickly, "but I do need to make sure that you weren't involved. When a murder occurs, my first job is to find out who _wasn't _involved. Then it's to find out who was."

"I was, um, having dinner with my boyfriend, Kafei." She took another tissue and wiped her eyes. "She was supposed to meet us. When she didn't show up, I got worried. I called you when she never came home."

"Alright," Link said, writing that down in his notebook. "You can go home now. I'll call you if we need anything else." Cremia stood up and walked to the door. As she pulled the door open, Link said, "Miss Cremia, can you give me your, uh, boyfriend's address?"

"It's, um…" She looked uncomfortable. "I-I don't think he'd like me giving out his address."

"Alright," Link replied, giving her a quizzical look. Even the families could make things difficult for him. Tapping his pen on his chin, he knew he had to come up with a plan.

**1996, August 3 22:33:03**

Exhausted, Link threw himself into the chair in his apartment and opened up the folder he had brought with him from the kitchen. He began flipping through the pages, and looking at pictures. As he threw the folder onto the coffee table, someone knocked on the front door.

When he answered the door, he found Sheik standing there, holding two cups of coffee. "Let's go," he said, offering one of the cups to Link. "It's going to be a long night."

Link grabbed his suit jacket off of the back of a chair. "What happened?" Walking over to the door, he grabbed his keys and closed the door to his apartment, locking it. It was a safety precaution that he learned, after many years on the force, to never forget.

He followed the Junior detective down the stairs as they continued their conversation.

"We found Cremia's 'boyfriend'," Sheik replied as they walked out to the car. "It's Kafei Dotour. As in the heir to Dotour enterprises." That didn't sound right. Then again, there was nothing right about a case of the death of a young child.

"I thought he was married," Link said, surprised.

"He is," the younger man confirmed.

Link nodded, opening the driver door of the car Sheik had come in. While he trusted his junior partner, his driving was another story.

**1996, August 3 23:02:15**

Link took the elaborate knocker in his hand and banged it down on the ornately polished door. A moment later, the door swung open. A tall man wearing a crisp tuxedo stood there, a towel slung over one arm. "Yes?"

"Head Detective Link Valor," Link said, showing the man his badge. "This is my partner, Junior Detective Sheik Impaz. We're here to talk to Mister Kafei Dotour."

"Please, come in," the man said. He led them into a small sitting room, where they both sat down. As they waited, Link's phone began vibrating in his pocket. He flipped it open, but before he could say anything, the person on the other end spoke.

"Detective, I've got great news!" he said, his elated voice abnormally higher than usual and his speed unmatched by most auctioneers. It was easy for Link to recognize the person on the other end.

"Shad," Link said, "calm down. You know I can't understand you when you talk so fast."

"Sorry, sir," Shad said, his exuberant voice dropping an octave as he cleared his throat. "I've finished examining the blood on the shirt you brought me. I tested it against a sample provided by Doctor Bandam. It didn't match, which means that-"

"That it might belong to the killer," Link finished. "Thanks Shad. Do you know if Doc Bandam has finished his autopsy?"

"I don't think so," Shad said. "I'll ask him to call you when he finishes."

"Alright, thanks." Link flipped his phone shut, and turned to Sheik, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door across from them opened. In walked a tall man with dark purple hair, wearing a white shirt with purple cuffs. Following him was a slightly shorter woman with short red hair, wearing a white dress.

"Detectives," the man said. "Welcome to my home. My name is Kafei, though," he said with a laugh, "I'm sure you already knew that. This is my wife, Anju."

"Ma'am," Link said, rising to shake Kafei's hand. "I love what you've done with the place."

"Oh, I don't have much of an eye for interior design," Anju said, sitting in a chair. She had this soft tone, very timid. "We had this done by a friend of Kafei's. What was her name, darling? Cream-something?"

"Cremia," Kafei said, and though his voice was carefully controlled, Link could tell that his wife's nonchalance irritated him.

"Yes," Anju said. "Yes, Cremia. She came here a few years ago. Of course, her sister was quite young, then. We had to have Viscen watch her, while she worked."

Link and Sheik shared a look. Pulling a picture out of his inner jacket pocket, he said, "Is this the girl that you had Viscen watch?" He handed them the photo. Anju gasped. Kafei's face became stony as he stared at the picture, then at Link, then back at the picture.

"What happened?" Kafei asked.

"We aren't sure yet," Link said. "Would it be alright if we talked in private? Sheik and your wife can sit in here, and you and I can go…"

"Into the garden," Kafei said, rising. He led Link down a hallway and out through a door. They stepped onto a small cement patio, leading out to a garden. The smell of lavender and roses filled the air. "You know," Kafei said.

"Yeah," Link replied. "I know. But don't be mad at Cremia. We found you, she didn't tell us." They began walking through the hedgerows, watching birds as they flittered through the trees. There was a certain peacefulness there that, strangely, unnerved Link. "Why?"

"I don't know how it happened. I love my wife. I really do," Kafei said, "but you see what she's like. She doesn't care about anybody, she hasn't in a long time. She didn't even bother to remember one of my best friend's names." He sighed. "I'm so sorry about what happened to Romani. She was the sweetest girl."

The detective listened to the way he talked, and how he explained his situation. He was an alright guy, but the type of the man who had been taught to blame others for his actions. It wasn't necessarily a kind thing, his judgment of him, but after working for so long, it had become an everyday occurrence to categorize everyone he talked to on a daily basis.

"Mister Dotour, we'll need you to come down to the station for questioning." The blonde-haired detective was prepared for an argument as was usual when this type of thing generally went down.

"I understand," Kafei said, surprising Link. "I'll go tell Anju where I'm going."

Link's eyes narrowed suspiciously but didn't say anything, just nodded his head. "Would you, please, send my partner out? I need to have a quick word with him."

"Of course." Kafei walked back along the path as Link headed towards the gate into the front yard. As he approached the car, the front door opened and Sheik stepped out.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I want you to put a tap on their phones," Link said. "There's something I don't like about Kafei's willingness to help."

'_Even an innocent man would argue down an officer if he believed he was being wrongly accused.'_

"We'll need a warrant," Sheik said.

"Go down to the courthouse, ask Judge Rauru. He's pretty good about it, usually." Kafei stepped back outside, shutting the door behind him. Link watched with careful eyes, trying to make sure that he wasn't trying anything funny.

No weird hand movement, no strange muscle twitches, nothing out of the ordinary so far... the paranoia that came with his profession had become his most loyal, best friend a long time ago and while he sometimes wished it wasn't there, he never ended up regretting bringing his best friend with anywhere; especially not on a case.

"Alright, detectives, I'm ready," Kafei said.

**1996, August 3 23:45:41**

Link shut the door behind him, and watched Kafei through the one way mirror.

"What do you think?" Sheik asked, walking up behind Link.

"His story matches perfectly with Cremia's. He can go."

"He's our only lead!" Sheik exclaimed. "If we let him go, we'll have nothing!"

"I kno-" Link began, but his phone began vibrating again. Flipping it open, he said, "Valor."

"Detective," said a feeble voice. "I've finished my examination of the body. Could you come down? I need to show you something."

"I'll be right down, Doc," Link said. He shut his phone. Turning to Sheik he said, "Spring him. I'm going to go talk to Bandam."

**1996, August 3 23:53:24**

"What'cha got, Doc?" Link said, walking up next to the medical examiner.

"A cause of death," Doctor Bandam said. He moved the sheet off of her stomach, revealing two large bruises.

"She died from… bruises?"

"Somebody attacked her. He hit her twice in the abdomen, causing internal bleeding. She also suffered a single stab wound to the chest, just to the left of the sternum."

"Is that all?"

"It should make you feel better to know that she fought back." He raised her left hand. Her knuckles were bruised. "Those aren't defensive wounds. She also scratched him. I found skin beneath her fingernails. Strangely, it didn't match the blood found on the shirt, or her own DNA."

"So now we just need to find someone whose DNA matches one." He picked up the shirt on the desk against the wall. Examining it, he found a label on the inside pocket. "Bazaar Mart Clothiers," he said, reading it aloud.

"I'd say that's a good place to start," Doc Bandam said.

**1996, August 4 08:06:04**

"Yeah, we sell that shirt," said the burly manager in the shop. Standing before him, Link was holding the shirt they had recovered from the crime scene.

"Have you sold any recently?"

The man squinted his eyes at Link, but said, "I can check the computer."

"Please," Link said, gesturing at the machine, his blue eyes watching him impatiently. The man walked over and tapped a few keys.

"The most recent ones were sold to tourists," he said gruffly. "Then, the one before it was sold to a Mister Mutoh Valey."

"Can you give me his address?"

"Do I look like I know his address?" the manager said, glaring up at Link. "I don't ask customers for their address."

'_It was worth trying_.'

"Alright," Link said, holding his hands up non-confrontationally. "I was just wondering. Thank you."

The manager watched as Link walked out of the store. "Who was that?" one of the employees asked.

"Nobody!" the manager snapped. "Get back to work."

**1996, August 4 12:36:28**

Link tossed the folder across the table to Sheik. "Take a look at that."

Sheik picked the folder up, opened it and his eyes widened. "You don't think…" then he looked back down. '_How could they have missed this detail_?' Link knew Sheik was thinking the same thing as he was.

"We need to go back to the crime scene," Link thought aloud, going over the details of the scene over and over in his head. He quickly stood, pulled his jacket off of the back of his chair, and started walking out of the building.

Silence and hesitation from his junior partner, Link turned and without his saying a word, his eyes communicated everything that needed to be said.

The younger man understood and began to speak, his fingers fidgeting at their sides. "Link, what if it's gone?" Sheik looked out the window with a forlorn look, the type of look that Link had become accustomed to when he was bothered by something, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked out the window.

"How could it be gone?" Link asked. Suddenly a loud crack of thunder rang from the sky. He looked at Sheik, and they both sprinted to the car.

**1996, August 4 13:05:47**

Link jogged to the spot indicated in the file they had been looking at. Just as he reached the place, he felt a drop of rain on his neck. "Got to hurry," he muttered, pulling a small bag of plaster out of his pocket. He poured some water in from his water bottle, but just before he poured the mixture into the footprint he had found, the rain began pouring and the print fell in on itself.

"Damn!" Link roared, throwing the plaster away angrily.

"Did you get it?" Sheik called.

"No," Link shouted back. "I almost had it. Is the picture good enough that we can get a 3-D scan of it?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. The guy who shot it did a pretty bad job."

"Damn…" Link muttered. "So we're back to square one?"

"Yeah." Just then, Link's phone began ringing again.

"Valor," he said, putting the phone up to his ear.

"Detective?" said the voice on the other end. "Um, I found something new in the evidence. You might want to see it."

"We'll be right there." He put his phone back in his pocket. "Never mind," he said. "We're on square two."


	3. A Violent Suspect

`The Valor Files

Case No. 1

By GreatAngemon

**I am so sorry to everyone I confused! I didn't realize that I uploaded chapter two twice. **

**1996, August 4 13:48:11**

"You said that you found something new?" Link asked as he walked into the lab. There was a humming in the air from the computers. People often had to speak loud to overcome the sound of what some called, 'the crimes of man's heart.' It was a constant reminder of the evil that one could succumb to if given enough pressure.

There hadn't been much change to the room since Link had first started working; though, if there were any major differences, the gray walls and the old wallpaper (that had been chosen to offset the depressing nature), Link wasn't inclined to compliment them at all.

The tech nearly jumped out of his skin when the detective came in, his hands nervously tapping a rhythm on the desk . His eyes were a storm of emotions as he turned to the detective, sifting through the materials that he was prepared to show him. Link guessed that he probably had a script written out somewhere -though, Link was inclined to not let him use it- to match what he'd seen the cool crime shows incorporated in what was utterly one of the most boring but important parts of the job.

"Y-yes, sir." He held up a large brown shoe. "I found this. I checked the things we found on the girl; she had both of her shoes. At any rate, it's far too large for her." The detective recognized him as one of the newer guys that had been at the crime scene a few days ago. He hadn't gotten to introduce himself as it wasn't proper etiquette nor did he view it necessary-at the time.

Link picked up the shoe. '_Strange,'_ he thought as he examined it. He pulled out his notebook and began writing. '_Size twelve, loafer, worn sole, thinned leather._' "Alright," he said as he turned to leave. Then he turned back, looking curiously at the man near the desk

"You're new, aren't you?" The chief always said it was important to create relationships with the techs- even if it seemed pointless, and, as Link said, idiotic.

"Yes sir," the tech said. "I only started a few weeks ago. My name is Vaati." The detective kept note of his words and nodded.

"Good job, Vaati," Link said. This conversation was obviously going nowhere fast; Link wanted it to end soon.

The tech looked up and smiled hesitantly, evidently too nervous to say much else. He probably hadn't written that part of the script for himself before the detective had come in.

Patting the newcomer on the shoulder, Link let himself out, happy the man wasn't much of a talker. The chief would be proud that he took initiative.

**1996, August 4 17:25:46**

Once again, Link threw himself into his armchair. This time, he didn't have a folder. He threw his suit jacket over the back of his chair, too lazy to rise and fix its slouched over position, reminding him of his grandfather in his last days; he felt too weak to even move right now. Lifting his feet off the floor, he laid them on the coffee table, closing his eyes as he drifted away from reality and into a world where neither life nor death existed.

For a few moments, there wasn't a stress in the world, not a reason for him to think because only the Goddesses knew how much he wanted to stop everything, just to stop existing, for a few moments.

However, even in dreams, it didn't take much to be brought back to reality, to be forced to look at the world again. Link knew that, because he'd just received a rude awakening in the form of a knock on the door.

He glanced at his watch. He'd been asleep for nearly two hours. Link stood and rubbed his knuckles into his eyes as he walked to the door. Pulling it open, the detective saw a man wearing the usual uniform of a Martown police officer: blue trousers, a black shirt underneath a blue vest, and a hat with the Martown Police Department insignia.

"Hello sir," he said. "May I come in?"

Link stared blankly at him for a moment, and then stepped aside. "Oh, yeah. Come on in." The man took off his hat and stepped inside. Link gestured to a chair. "Can I get you anything? Water, coffee-"

It was odd to be the one on the opposite side of being not the visitor of the law but the visited.

"I'd love a cup of coffee," the officer said.

Link went to the kitchen and busied himself with the coffee maker. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Officer…" Link trailed off, hoping the man would introduce himself.

"Officer Jiro Layma. I was the guy in charge of Death Mountain Trail the day the girl… the day the girl… well, when she showed up." He looked up as Link approached, holding a mug in each hand. He handed one to Jiro, and kept the other as he resumed his seat. "Thank you," he said, taking the steaming mug.

"Alright officer," Link said, taking a sip of his coffee. "What can I do for you?" His blue eyes lit up, being that he was done with the pleasantries. He assumed there had to be business reasons for his visit, and he hoped that the man would make it quick.

He'd just been getting to the good part of his dream. Of course, he couldn't tell him that.

"Detective Impaz sent me to you," Jiro said, also sipping. "He wanted me to tell you what happened just before I found the girl."

Link raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his own cup of coffee. "And?" He had to wonder if today had been newbie-day to talk to the detective - even if he couldn't be sure of the ranking with only two minutes of talking. Still, there had to be procedure of the speed in which to get information that had to be locked down in some law book. Maybe he'd hire a lawyer to check on those laws for him.

"Well, I'd only let a few people up the trail that day. One was an old married couple, and another was, um, Mister Kafei Dotour and his wife."

'_What!?_' Link thought. "You're sure? It was definitely Kafei Dotour and Anju?"

"Yes sir," the officer said. "Mister Dotour and his wife… is that important, sir?"

Link put a hand to his chin, his thoughts going back and forth with the testimony of Kafei, a scowl replacing the complacent look on his face. "Yes, Officer Layma, it is. Very important." '_Very important indeed._'

**1996, August 5 06:29:32**

"Why didn't you tell me that you'd been up Death Mountain Trail?" Link asked, his voice carefully calm. He was staring down Kafei Dotour in the Martown Police Department interrogation room.

"You didn't ask," Kafei replied. "I know my rights, detective. I don't have to give you any information that could incriminate myself." The man apparently thought himself sly, but Link had dealt with people more clever than him before. Now, it was about breaking him. He wasn't going to get away with this little fiasco.

Link watched the man for a few minutes, the hush noise of the wind being the only sound outside. He stared into Kafei's eyes – was that a flicker of nervousness – before finally speaking. "You told me that you love your wife." His voice was an octave lower than normal, almost dangerously low. It was the tone he often used when he was trying to keep from exploding; some said it was evidence that was done with taking the lies that were being thrown at him.

"Yes."

"But you're cheating on her with Cremia?" Link's eyes narrowed, his words smoother than butter but harsh like a knife.

"Yes," Kafei said irritably. Link could tell he was getting underneath his skin, exactly as he wanted him to be. The first one to crack was proof that the other had more power.

"Do you love Cremia?"

"I've always loved her," Kafei said. "I've loved her since we were children."

"Do you want me to find the person that killed her little sister?" The question was quick, and it was meant to get the person to answer without thinking, giving him full power of the man on the other side of the table.

"Of course!"

"Then start telling me what I need to know!" Link roared, knocking his chair to the ground as he sprang to his feet. He was leaning forward, nearly nose-to-nose with Kafei, breathing heavy. "If you love Cremia, and you want me to find justice, not only for her sister, but for her, you'll help me. You'll tell me everything, whether I ask it, or not." His eyes were intense like fire melting iron.

Kafei looked up at Link, then down at the table. "What do you need to know?"

"Why were you on Death Mountain Trail?"

"I took Anju there for a surprise picnic. She's always loved going up there; she loves the view." He sighed. "I didn't see anything. The only people up there were me and my wife, and an old married couple."

"There's nothing else?" Link noted everything he said and did mentally, not wanting to miss a thing. He had already got one up on him, and he wasn't going to get away with it again.

"No-" but he stopped abruptly. He closed his eyes before saying, "There was someone else. Anju and I were just leaving when someone else came up. Two people, actually. One was tall and burly, and the other… he was small, and wiry."

"Anything else? Hair color, eye color?" Details, he needed details, and right now, and it seemed that he was the only one who had any.

"The tall one was bald, but he had a white moustache," Kafei said. "The little one… his hair was dyed, a sort of white-purple." He opened his eyes. "They were in a car with tinted windows."

"Alright," Link said. "This time, I want you to stay right here. Don't leave the building until _I_ personally tell you that you can." He looked sternly at the man with eyes of cold steel.

He picked up his chair, stood it up and walked to the door. "Thank you," he murmured as he exited the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kafei look up, surprised.

**1996, August 4 20:35:44**

"Can you find him?" Link asked. He had just given a rough description of the suspects to one of the forensic analysts.

"It shouldn't be a problem." He opened up a window on his computer and began typing. "I'll enter his description into a basic frame set, then put it into a 3-D model. After it renders an image, I can run it across the national driver's database. If the perp owns a driver's license, we'll have a good chance of finding him."

Link stared blankly at him, blinking his eyes rapidly, hoping to convey his lack of interest in technicalities.

"I'll make a picture of him, then see if anybody's license looks like it," the analyst sighed.

"Just do it," Link said, motioning at the computer. The analyst continued typing, before finally stepping aside.

"This is a rough image of the tall, burly man that your witness described." On the screen was a man with long legs and a broad chest. His head was shiny, with no hair at all, except for a thick, white moustache.

"That's him?" Link raised an eyebrow, resting his hand on the back of the chair that the forensic scientist had been sitting in.

"If the description your witness gave us was correct, it might be."

"Run it," Link said. The analyst pulled open another window on the computer and dragged the picture of the suspect into it. The image went to one side of the window, and on the other side, pictures of driver's licenses began flashing.

"I'll get to work on the other one."

"Tell me when you've got a match." Link pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Sheik, get the car ready. We're going back to see Miss Cremia."

"Alright," Sheik said.

Link walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Suddenly, he could feel his eyes going hazy again, and the infernal ringing in his ears returned. "Not again," Link mumbled. "Not now, not here…" He pulled his pill bottle out of his pocket again, popped it open and tapped two pills into his hand. He threw the pills into his mouth, and slid the bottle back into his pocket.

As the elevator doors slid open, Link found Vaati, the crime scene tech standing there. "Detective!" he exclaimed. Link scowled.

"Don't scream at me." He held his head, the medication hadn't taken effect yet. Moisture beaded down his forehead as he waited for his body to feel the calming effects of the medication.

"Sorry," said Vaati. "I just went to your office, but you weren't there. I found some sweat on the sole of the shoe. The brown shoe? And I tested it against the database."

"And?" Link asked, trying to appear as if he hadn't just had an attack, hoping the tech wouldn't notice the shakiness in his hands.

"I found someone. His name is Mutoh Valey."

'_Valey again,_' Link thought. "Alright, thanks Vaati. Bandam is getting ID's on the second man that Dotour saw. Tell him to text me when it's done."

"The medical examiner?"

"No, Bandam the forensic analyst."

"There're two Bandam's?"

"Yep," Link said. "One used to live near Lake Hylia and worked as a scientist, and one made hair elixirs and other garbage before we hired both of them."

**1996, August 4 21:03:14**

"Miss Cremia, do you know this man?" Link asked, holding up two digital photos. They were the ones that the analyst had produced at the lab.

"Uh, no," she said. "Although…" she squinted at one of them. "He looks sort of like… oh!" She sprang to her feet. "I just remembered! While Kafei and I were at the diner, we started taking pictures." She grabbed a camera from out of a drawer on her side table.

"That man looks like… this one." She held up a picture for Link to look at. In it were herself and Kafei. Looking closer, he saw that there was a tall, balding man in the background with a white moustache. He was wearing a long, sleeveless, purple button down shirt.

"Does the name Mutoh Valey sound familiar?"

"No."

"Alright, thank you, Miss Cremia." Link stood, shook her hand and walked out of the house.

"Did she recognize them?" Sheik asked once Link had returned to the car.

"The tall one. While they were waiting for Romani, they took some pictures. He was in the background of one of them."

"His name?"

"No."

"Shad called, just like you said he would," Sheik added after they had gotten into the car. "He found Valey's address."

"What is it?"

"Three-ninety-eight Gerudo Drive."

**1996, August 4 21:25:58**

Link walked up the steps of the Valey residence, and the first thing he noticed was the broken, beaten down door. That was never a good sign. Sheik stood behind him as he knocked on the door. It wasn't even a second later when the door swung open when a massive man came hulking through, standing at the door was a man with muscles on top of muscles, towering over the two detectives before him. "Whad'ya wan'?"

The lead detective's eyes widened for only a moment, shocked. In pictures, he didn't seem quite that big. "Er, Mister Valey?" Link asked, his expression nonchalant compared to how he really felt.

"Aye, thass me." He was giving off a powerful stench of booze, and Link saw several empty bottles on the floor behind him.

"May we, er, come in?"

He glared at Link for a moment before stepping aside and letting them in. "Get in da bleedin' 'ouse then," he said. Link and Sheik stepped into the building and followed Mutoh Valey into a room filled with noise and cigarette smoke. Link was sure that he was going against every fire code in the city, but he wasn't here for that, so it would have to wait.

He picked up a remote off of a footstool, clicked a button, and the television flickered off. "Whad'ya wan'?" he asked again.

"Er, I was wondering if you knew this man," Link said, holding up the picture of the purple-white haired man. Mutoh glared at the photo for a minute. Link swore that, for a moment, his eyes went wide, but he said, "I ain' never seen dat man before in meh life."

'_Typical, just plan typical... no one ever makes this job easy.'_

"Are you sure?" Link asked. His vision was blurred. Was it from the medication not working yet or the smoke in the room? The stink of the alcohol was overwhelming his senses.

"I said I ain' seen 'im before, and I ain' seen 'im before." He was breathing heavy now, anger visible on his face.

Link's eyes curtly acknowledged the drunken fellow, not wanting to anger the giant wall of muscle. He hoped that his Junior Detective would follow his example.

"Sir, calm down," Sheik said. "We just need to make sure that-"

Link turned to him, hoping to get him to stop talking, but he didn't have the chance.

"Shaddup!" Mutoh roared. "I don' need yeh tellin' me wha' ter do in me own 'ouse!"

"I wasn't trying to-"

"I said shaddup!" Without warning, he lunged at Sheik, taking him down. The man slammed Shiek's head into the ground, using his enormous weight to keep the Junior Detectives arms down, disarming him as he punched his face over and over. "Yeh won' tell me wha' ter do in me own 'ouse!" he screamed, continuing to wail on the much smaller and weaker man.

Blood flew from Sheik's mouth. "Help!" Sheik cried out desperately from the ground, blood spraying everywhere. "Link, stop him!"

Link dove forward, grabbing at the man's arms. "Stop!" he shouted. "Get off of him!" He finally managed to get a hold on him, and pulled him up, holding his arms behind his back. "Get your cuffs!" he managed to gasp at Sheik. Sheik pulled out his cuffs, and locked them onto Mutoh's wrists.

The Junior Detective glared at the massive man with dark red eyes. Link was sure that if he hadn't been there, Sheik, with those cold eyes, would have shot him once the giant had gotten off of him. The young man grabbed his gun that had fallen when he had been tackled and attached it to his waist.

Link finally released Mutoh's arms and he fell to the ground, still kicking and writhing, trying to get at Sheik. "Mutoh Valey," Link said. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can't afford one, one will be appointed you by the court.

"If you answer any questions we ask you, you have the right to stop at any time. Do you understand these rights as I have explained them to you?"

"Ged ou' o' mah bleedin' 'ouse!" Mutoh shrieked.

"I'll take that as a no," Sheik mumbled. He and Link each grabbed one of the still struggling man's arms and began half-dragging, half-carrying the man out the front door.


	4. Chapter 4

The Valor Files

Case No. 1

By GreatAngemon

**1996, August 5 08:03:45**

Through the window, a man with bloody fist sat, tapping his fingers and foot impatiently. His eyes moved rapidly, watching everything, though they obviously saw nothing but gray. Admittedly he was drunk and angry, violent beyond measure. He looked like the psycho from a movie that Link's father would've shown him to prove to him why he needed to be good and listen, with his large physique and crude facial features.

Link wasn't willing to be so quick to speak to the man who had just assaulted his partner. He wanted to say that it was to cool him off, but the truth was, he was infuriated and wanted him to suffer anxiety over what would happen next - even if nothing did happen. It was mental torture, and anyone who had any sense knew that was worse than anything someone could do to a man physically.

"He's been in there _how _long?" The chief sighed, rubbing his temples. That was never a good sign. The older man stood there with arms crossed and a deftly transparent face that was easily read as annoyance with the entire situation.

If he rubbed his temple again, Link was sure that his career would be on the line however, being a man with a great poker face, the detective pretended not to notice his frustration.

"Ten hours," Link said. "Give or take, ah, thirty minutes. Is that a problem, chief?" It was always best just to answer questions as clearly and if possible, as vaguely as possible in this situation. Trying to be funny would only get him in trouble. If he told the truth, that would be even worse.

The chief looked through the window into the interrogation room, where Mutoh Valey was sitting. "Of course it's a problem, Link. Unless we charge him with something, we only have sixty-two hours to hold him. And, under the circumstances, I'd say that keeping him contained is the best plan."

"Sheik feeling okay?" Link looked away, feeling slight remorse for his partner. He hadn't expected the man to be so violent, and a part of him blamed himself, unsure if he had taught him how to deal with drunken angry folks.

"He'll be fine," the chief said. "Valey hit him pretty hard. It still surprises me just how hard those drunks can hit." He cocked his head slightly as he turned his head to Link. "Do you think he did it?"

"I don't know yet," Link replied. "I left him there alone. I still need to question him."

"Get in there, kid. We need to get this case closed. The sooner, the better."

"Yes sir."Link walked away from the window and exited the room.

"Link!" the chief called after him.

"What?"

"Where are you going? I told you to question the suspect."

"Yes sir, I know."

"So get in there and question him." The chief's eyes narrowed.

"I will, Chief. But not yet. If he is guilty, we can charge him at the end of the seventy-two hours, and he'll have to stay with us. If he isn't, it'll keep him here a little bit longer while we question him. Can I go now?"

The chief chuckled and nodded to Link, who left. "Kid, you're pretty good," he said to himself as he stroked his short, red beard. "Pretty good."

**1996, August 5 08:15:26**

Link leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his hair. He let out a strangled breath as he closed his eyes.

He could only see red locks on a little girl, smiling, happy to be invited to where her sister was going. He imagined she was probably skipping - maybe, even humming a tune. What kind of child was she? Too young, he thought, to be walking alone. That, itself, didn't help at all. No matter how hard he tried - he was drawing a blank, nothing to give his heart and mind some closure to the case. He just needed something to jump out at him - something that was off -something not right- in the case. What would that be? Furthermore, where would he find it?

'_Think, idiot, think,_' he thought to himself. '_Think… one girl. An eight year old, redhead. Goes missing. Turns up dead in a remote area.' _He tried to imagine being eight years old, being by himself - without his legal guardian or an older sibling - who would he talk to? And, why?

Did she know the killer? More often than not, most murders were done by the people closest to the victim... but if that were the case, what relationship would the little girl have with her murderer? Was she scared or excited to see him? Did she give him a hug, or cower away? What would prompt her to go with him, when she was supposed to be meeting with her sister?

He grabbed his hair in frustration, his eyes looking down. There was no way he could understand her; his parents wouldn't even allow him to talk to strangers at the grocery store if they weren't with him. It wasn't nearly as dangerous back then, and even then, they had been so overprotective...

There had to be something that he could use to understand this and move forward in the case.

'_No signs of sexual abuse. Major physical trauma; enough to cause internal bleeding and death. What would cause someone to do this? The only thing that comes to mind…_'

"Link."The detective jumped, knocking his mug of coffee off of his desk. He looked up. Sheik was standing there, looking curiously at him.

"What do you want, Sheik?" he asked, picking up his mug. "Can someone get this for me?"

"Link, we just got a call from Cremia Stead's neighbors," Sheik said. "They said that she's been screaming for over three hours. They want us to go over and see if we can get her to stop."

Link sighed then stood and pulled his jacket off of his chair. "Let's go." As they walked away, Link turned back to his desk and saw an officer cleaning up his spilled coffee. "Thank you… uh…"

"Officer Shiro Stone."

"Thank you Officer Stone," Link said. "Are you new?"

"No sir," Stone replied. "I've been working here for several years." This wouldn't be the first time that he hadn't cared enough to notice someone.

"Oh." Link sighed and noted to himself to stop asking if people were new. The chief would have his head if he heard that Link was ignoring colleagues. Again.

**1996, August 5 08:38:41**

"Shut up!" a voice shouted from inside the house. Link recognized it as Cremia's, and he looked at Sheik.

The sound of a woman screaming came from the house like the sound of thunder, but neither head nor junior detective could be sure about what they had heard. Link stood with his back to the wall, watching his surroundings and listening for anybody to come around the corner. Before him stood Sheik, with his back to the parallel wall, his eyes on what Link couldn't see behind him.

The sound of glass breaking from inside the house changed the situation completely as Link pulled his gun from its holster and stepped forward, his eyes telling his partner everything that needed to be said. Sheik moved forward first then stepped to the door and kicked it in.

"Cover me." It was all the Head Detective needed to say as they crossed the threshold of the house.

They leveled their guns, aiming them at what was generally the height of a man's chest and began walking through the rooms, checking around every corner for possible threats. Another crashing sound came from the back of the house, quickly followed by more shouting and a man's scream. The two detectives glanced at one another then moved quickly to where the sound was coming from.

Finally getting to the sitting room, they found Cremia holding a vase in one hand, tears streaming down her face. On the other side of the room, there were two people. Kafei Dotour was standing next to a bookcase with broken glass lying around his feet.

Next to him was Vaati, the tech from the crime lab, cowering. "Miss Cremia!" Link bellowed, holstering his gun and jumping forward. He grabbed the vase from her, tossed it onto the sofa and pinned her arms to her sides. "Miss Cremia, calm down, please," he said, wrestling her into a chair.

"Get him," she said, choking on her words through her sobs. "Get… him… out…"

"Get them out of here," Link hissed to Sheik. The Junior Detective hastily began ushering both men out of the room while Link knelt down to talk to Cremia. "Tell me what's wrong. Why have you been screaming?"

"He was… he was taunting me. He was saying how… Romani ran… how Romani ran away… and that's why she's dead." She sniffled.

Link's eyes widened, shocked. "Kafei said that?" It didn't seem in his character.

"No, it was… the other one." She grabbed a box of tissues off of a side table and blew her nose. "The short one…"

'_Did he now?_' Link's blue were ablaze with flames hotter than the scorching fires of hell. _Vaati? What is he even doing here?_

"I'm sorry, Miss Cremia. I'll make sure that he never comes back here again." The detective looked her in her eyes as he touched her shoulders, angered and saddened by his associate's cruel words.

He stood up, his eyes warm and kind as he said, "Miss Cremia, next time you need something, please, call me." He handed her a business card.

"I will, detective," she said quietly, wiping her eyes again.

Once Link had stepped out of the house and shut the door, he grabbed Vaati by his shirt collar and pushed him towards his car. "Go to the station. Now. Go into my office and wait for me. Touch nothing."

There was something in his tone of voice that kept Vaati from arguing. "Yes sir," he said sulkily. After he had driven off, Link turned to Kafei. He noticed that he was holding flowers.

"Why did you come here?" The adrenaline and anger seethed through his veins, making itself known in his voice.

"I needed to see her. Anju said I should bring some flowers," he said, slightly rustling the bouquet of pink and white chrysanthemums. "When I got here, that guy was in there harassing her. Once she saw me, she seemed to lose it, and she started throwing things."

"Go home. See your wife. Don't come back here until I tell you that you can. Do you understand?" Link's eyes softened but his expression and voice were cold. His decision was final.

"No." Kafei's face was a mask of both anger and stubbornness.

Link's eyes hardened. "Kafei, we're doing our best to find the man who killed Romani, and right now, you being here isn't doing anything except distressing her sister. You won't come back here, or I'll have a police escort assigned to you until the end of the investigation. Do you understand?"

Kafei glared at him. "I'm going to go tell her."

"Five minutes. That's it, and I'm timing."

**1996, August 5 08:50:34**

"What were you doing there!" Link roared, slamming his office door shut behind him. "What Goddess forsakenly stupid man told you that you had permission to go to the witness' house?"

"I-"

No,`you don't talk! You listen, and you listen good." As Link spoke, his voice dropped from the range of eighty decibels to less than fifty. "I don't care who told you that you could go there. You're working my case, you take your orders from me. Do you understand me?"

"Yes sir, but I-"

"No but's. You don't take orders from anyone else until you're off my case."

"I told him to go, Link." The chief was standing in Link's office doorway. "I told Vaati to go to the house; I needed him to get any evidence he could."

Link couldn't have stopped himself from glaring even if it weren't intentionally. The old man had no right to make those kind of decisions without, at least, checking with him. Yeah, he was chief, but to send a newbie on his case... seriously?! Was he trying to ruin everything?

"From what Cremia said, it sounded more like he was there to interrogate her," Link mused, leaning back. "Did you have anything to do with _that, _chief?" He knew he shouldn't do it, but his voice was practically challenging his boss.

"No," the chief admitted, his red eyes narrowing. "Vaati, what were you doing questioning the witness?" Link could tell that the older man heard the challenge in his voice, but just this once, he had let it go - and despite his anger, he was glad that the chief did.

"I wasn't!" Vaati protested. "I did what you said, chief. I went there to see if I could find anything that'd help us find the girl's killer, but the lady refused to let me into the kid's room."

"I can't imagine why," Link muttered. Vaati glared at him. "What? Think about it from her perspective. You're a rookie cop who's come into her house and wants to go through her baby sister's room." He laced his fingers behind his head. "If you wanted anyone to go, chief, it should have been me or Sheik. Or at least, give the guy a warrant."

"You're right," said the chief. "Vaati, if I catch you going anywhere near the victim's house again, I'll have your badge. Am I clear?" The chief looked at Link, his eyes narrowed in warning as if, without saying a word, he had told him to test him with that tone and he wouldn't be getting off so easily again.

"Yes, sir," Vaati whimpered, his stubbornness and resolution crumbling under the boss's frustration and rage.

The chief walked out of the door, closing it.

"Did you get anything from Cremia?" Link asked. "Besides that nasty cut on your arm," he added.

Vaati looked down, startled to see the blood staining his pale –almost pure-white– skin. "No, detective. Like I said, she wouldn't let me into the girl's room."

"Then you can go," Link said, sighing and waving his hand dismissively. As Vaati neared the door, Link called after him, "You've earned yourself a two-week suspension. You don't take orders from anyone – not even the chief– when you're doing my case."

**1996, August 5 12:34:01**

Link unwrapped his cheeseburger and took a bite. Almost at once, ketchup fell from the sandwich onto his shirt. He rewrapped his meal and dropped it into the bag. Sheik walked in as the detective stood from his chair.

"What's that?" Sheik asked, pointing at Link's chest.

"Lunch," Link muttered. He began unbuttoning his shirt, and un-tucked it from his trousers. "Did you talk to Cremia?"

"Yeah. I went over there and asked if I could search Romani's room. I didn't see anything that'd make someone want her dead."

"Alright." Link opened one of the drawers on his desk and pulled a clean shirt out. "Then how about we go talk to Mutoh."

"His seventy-two hours aren't up yet, though."

"I know, but we need a lead. We can still hold him after the questioning even if we don't charge him."

**1996, August 5 12:44:41**

"Ar, whad'dya wan'?" Valey asked when Link had sat down opposite him in the interrogation room.

"Why did you attack my partner?" Link frowned, his eyes intent on watching the man, readying himself for any sudden moves. The man should have been much more sober by now; however, that didn't change the fact that he could easily have a temper tantrum and go after him this time. Even so, Link had never been one to worry about whether he could win in a fight with a bigger guy; he'd taken down people three times his size who were trained in martial arts or were known street fighters. The detective wasn't a big guy, but he could hold his own and if he had to; he didn't mind busting a lip or two.

"'e was tryin' ter boss me aroun' in me own 'house," Valey said gruffly. "I won' 'ave it, I won'."

"He wasn't bossing you around, Mister Valey." Link clenched his fist and sucked on his inner cheek, a habit that he had stated when he was young whenever he was trying to keep from acting out, "He just didn't want you getting angry."

"Whad'dya wan'?" Valey asked again. "Beside' why I 'it yer pally."

Link stared at the man in disbelief. How was his slurs getting worse after being away from the alcohol for so many hours? He bit his lip in thought. "Can you tell me where you were at four-fifteen on August third?"

"Why?" The big giant looked honestly confused as if he had ask him about unicorns and where to find them. He was either an idiot or so smart that he played the role like a pro.

"This girl," Link said, sliding a picture in front of Valey, "was found dead on August fourth. The medical examiner said that she died at four-fifteen the day before." Valey looked at the picture in front of him before leaning back in the aluminum chair.

"I ain' never seen dat girl before in meh life," he said.

Link stared the man down. For several minutes, there was silence between them with Link's blue eyes locked constantly with Valey's crinkled black ones. Finally, Link spoke again, though in a much gentler tone. "Tell me about yourself, Mutoh."

The giant was surprised. "Yeh wan' ter know abou' me?" he asked.

"Yeah. Tell me everything." Link smiled as if he were just a friendly neighbor, wanting to meet who was next door. There were times when pressure didn't work, and this man, he wasn't one to fall under when cracks were made. Being a detective, there were times when he had to play a role, and right now, he was playing friend - not the man who wanted him to suffer for touching one of his friend.

Mutoh watched Link for a moment, before speaking. "I use' teh be a carpenta'. Then me guys quit. 'Tired o' de 'ard work,' dey said. 'Don' like de long 'ours,' dey said. Dey lef', an' me company wen' unda'." The big man looked like a gentle giant - some kid's movie character - when he spoke. His eyes were glistening with his speech.

The muscular drunk cupped his hands in front of his mouth, silence filling the air then finally sighed, adding, "Afta' de company wen' down, meh wife lef' me. Thass wen I sta'ted drinkin'. An' thass tha'."

He finished speaking with a finality that surprised Link. "That's it?" The detective's mouth hung open. Was this guy really that big of an idiot? He chewed on his inner right cheek, his nervous and angry habit intensified. He was getting nowhere fast. Oh wait, Mutoh was opening his mouth again.

"Thass tha'."

Never mind, Link sighed, this interview was as eventful as visiting his great grandma's bingo stories, and half as exciting.

"I showed you a picture at your house. Are you sure you didn't recognize him?"

"Arr, I'm sher."

Why wasn't Link surprised? The detective scratched the back of his neck, wondering if this man had studied the power of a poker face and gotten a masters degree in perfecting it. Nobody could be this bad at an interview!

Link sat for a moment, arms brought across his chest, eyes closed. Then he stood, turned on the spot and walked from the room.

**1996, August 5 12:53:24**

"He still saying that he doesn't know the guy in the photo?" Sheik asked.

"Yeah." Link was sitting in his own chair again, leaning back, rocking very slightly. "I don't know, Sheik. He's lying, and yet, I feel like he isn't."

"Can I see the picture again?"

Link handed him the small photo from his pocket. "Doesn't he look familiar?" Sheik asked.

Link took the photo back and stared at it. He watched the light reflect off of its surface; the man's purple-white hair, his pointed nose, his deep red eyes… he loathed everything about the man. Finally he realized who the person in the photo looked like.

**A/N: I have a poll on my profile. Everyone, please go and vote.**


End file.
